Campaign xml file parameter guide?

[mrjmaint]

Does anybody have or know where to get a campaign xml file guide? I have been working on some campaign modifications and would like to know what some of the campaign params, mission effects and dice rolls have on the campaign progress. Some are obvious and some are not.

Thanks.

[Daiwilletti]

Hiya,

Microsoft has a number of SDKs. One is a campaign SDK - I don't recall if it is on the MS site.

I've just checked, they have the mission editing SDK which will be of help to you as you will get the feel of some of the xml file parameters and syntax. There is also a good explanation of dice and how they work, in the help file of the mission builder.

I'm wracking my brains to recall where I got the campaign SDK from. Just PM me and I should be able to email you a soft copy.

HTH,

[Daiwilletti]

Got your PMs guys.

Sent emails but am worried that the attachments may have triggered anti-virus blocking the emails. I got one bounce-back. I've attached copies of old threads about campaign lock-up and campaign spawn issues. These are a useful reference and save a lot of time and heartache.....

[mrjmaint]

I did receive the files. Thanks for getting them out.

[gosd]

Got your PMs guys.

Sent emails but am worried that the attachments may have triggered anti-virus blocking the emails. I got one bounce-back. I've attached copies of old threads about campaign lock-up and campaign spawn issues. These are a useful reference and save a lot of time and heartache.....

Where could I get a copy of those ?

[Daiwilletti]

Where could I get a copy of those ?

I'll have a rattle around and see what I can find. I will need to be paste the threads as text into the sticky thread, so it remains searchable for a reasonable length of time.

Can't do it for a couple of days, unless I get an unexpected break.

[Led Zeppelin]

I made campaigns a couple of years ago, it is complicated, there are many, many parameters to setup (xml campaign file, spawns...)... good luck! :salute:

[mrjmaint]

Where could I get a copy of those ?

I sent you the Doc files that I use.

[Daiwilletti]

I've posted a bit of stuff on campaigns in the Knowledgebase Thread

[vonOben]

I've posted a bit of stuff on campaigns in the Knowledgebase Thread

Thanks David!

Do you know how to get the correct Sector information?

For example:

<ProductionCenters>
<ProductionCenter Name="Metz" Sector="X36" Value="10"/>
<ProductionCenter Name="Reims" Sector="W30" Value="10"/>
<ProductionCenter Name="Toulon" Sector="AV36" Value="10"/>
<ProductionCenter Name="Orleans" Sector="AC24" Value="10"/>
</ProductionCenters>

Cheers

[Daiwilletti]

Thanks David!

Do you know how to get the correct Sector information?

For example:

<ProductionCenters>
<ProductionCenter Name="Metz" Sector="X36" Value="10"/>
<ProductionCenter Name="Reims" Sector="W30" Value="10"/>
<ProductionCenter Name="Toulon" Sector="AV36" Value="10"/>
<ProductionCenter Name="Orleans" Sector="AC24" Value="10"/>
</ProductionCenters>

Cheers

Hi von Oben,
there are probably better ways but what I do is look at the map available on the start up screen for a campaign. If you zoom in on the map in your area of interest and hover the cursor over the map, you will get the sector number for each individual square.

Then you can create a production center for the sector you like, for your campaign. Of course it helps if there are some factories and shipyards and/or railyards and or other significant facilities within that sector, defined in the global layer. Thus when you get "attack production center" as a mission option, you will actually find a target when you get there....

There is nothing too dificult about most of the xml parameters in the campaign.xml. You can simply boost the values of the production centres to make a nation stronger.

[vonOben]

Thanks David! :salute:

That seems to be an easy way!

Do you have any tips how to get the frontline Lat and Lon values?

<FrontLine>
<Point Lat="N64*13'41.9998&quot;" Lon="E6*41'49.9999&quot;"/>
<Point Lat="N53*51'53.9998&quot;" Lon="E6*41'49.9999&quot;"/>
<Point Lat="N53*17'54.9999&quot;" Lon="E7*4'52.0000&quot;"/>

Is there any information about spawn file editing?
If you make a new campaign what should be edited in the spawn files?

Cheers

[Daiwilletti]

Thanks David! :salute:

That seems to be an easy way!

Do you have any tips how to get the frontline Lat and Lon values?

<FrontLine>
<Point Lat="N64*13'41.9998&quot;" Lon="E6*41'49.9999&quot;"/>
<Point Lat="N53*51'53.9998&quot;" Lon="E6*41'49.9999&quot;"/>
<Point Lat="N53*17'54.9999&quot;" Lon="E7*4'52.0000&quot;"/>

Is there any information about spawn file editing?
If you make a new campaign what should be edited in the spawn files?

Cheers

Hi von Oben,

All this is from memory so please forgive slight inaccuracies, I'm not on my CFS3 computer.
Aren't the lat and long values also displayed as you move around the campaign map? Or is that just in the mission builder?

As for spawn files, the main thing to remember is that the 12 or so different campaign missions are each supported by specific spawn files. Hence you get a series of spawn files around "Strike" campaign missions, CAS missions, etc. The more complex one is attack production center. The basic mission involves attacking a factory but the production center is well beyond the frontline normally, so there is a bit going on in the exe file not accessible in the xml files.

All the campaign missions are listed in the root campaign.xml file, from memory (under <Missiontypes>). I have "tweaked" the missions by adding "isFactory" to airbase facility xmls, because for Axis BoB missions, there really needs be a strike_airbase option but unfortunately the mission selections seems to be hard coded in CFS3. I did try writing some pseudo campaign strike_airbase missions, and wrote that missiontype into a campaign.xml file, but it does not work. It may be that a Dialogue file needs to be amended also, but it is likely that the addition of a strike_airbase campaign mission is not possible by simple xml editing alone.

So it is possible to use strike_factory option, and attack airbases by editing the airbase facility to read "isAirbase,isFactory", as a work-around. You could probably also create some new options for campaign missions by editing other facility files. However, remember your problem with ammodepots? The same problem of difficulty in completing the mission goal arises when you attack an airbase which is a campaign goal. Your flight is busy machine-gunning the runway and it is difficult to reach the desired damage percent level specified in the strike_factory spawn file.

Hence the need to reduce the damage percent for the strike_factory spawn file to a very low number.

Otherwise editing the campaign spawn files is pretty straightforward. One of my favourite things to do is to have a number of armored formations in the ground.spawns and frontline.spawns use Groundtype="direct". In the second waypoint I specify "frontline" location so the armored formations appear to attack the frontline. However that is not strictly a campaign mission, just something that adds flavour to the campaign. These days I normally get shot down simply rubbernecking around the frontline, rather than in fulfilling mission target objectives

[brundu841]

launch a campaign, then go on the map, point your curceur on the desired point and get the value of the sector ...

lancer une campagne, puis allez sur la carte , pointez votre curceur sur le point voulu et vous obtiendrez la valeur du secteur...

[brundu841]

the geographical coordinates of Reims are 49 ° 15'55 North. 4 ° IS1'43. well and W30 on the map CFS3.
Metz 49 ° 07'13 North 6 ° 10'40 IS therefore X36 for CFS3.
to 43 ° 07'43 TOULON North 5 ° 55'47 East for CFS3 is AV35 ! is not as it is given AV36 on CFS3.
to 47 ° 54'28 Orlean North 1 ° 54'17 East, AC24 is the correct location CFS3.


les coordonnees geographique de Reims sont 49°15'55 Nord . 4°1'43 EST. et bien W30 sur la carte cfs3.
pour Metz 49°07'13 Nord 6°10'40 EST donc bien X36 pour cfs3.
pour TOULON 43°07'43 Nord 5°55'47 Est pour cfs3 c'est AV35 et pas AV36 comme il est donne sur cfs3.
pour Orlean 47°54'28 Nord 1°54'17 Est, AC24 est le bon emplacement cfs3.
: Salut:

[vonOben]

Thanks for the info guys! :salute:

Much appreciated!

:ernae:

Cheers